Discover the History of the Children of the Atom on Wax
In 1976, Topps launched its first-ever Marvel Comics collaboration with a set of stickers featuring characters like Captain America, Galactus, and the Incredible Hulk. Of course, with the X-Men comics having just relaunched the year before to major success, the set also included stickers of team members like Cyclops and Ice Man. It’s an interesting piece of collectible history to look back on today, given how massive the X-Men would quickly become in pop culture and how many future collaborations were still in store between Marvel and Topps.
With the new Topps Finest X-Men ‘97 set on the horizon, it’s a perfect time to look back at the legacy of trading cards featuring the mutant team, as well as the larger legacy of Marvel collectibles at Topps. Between the modern physical card releases and all of the digital collectibles going live every week in the Marvel Collect! app, there’s more than ever before for fans of the comics, movies, and shows to get excited about, and it all started decades ago.
1976 Topps Marvel Super Heroes Stickers Cyclops
1976 Topps Marvel Super Heroes Stickers Ice Man
The Early Days of X-Men Trading Cards
Topps may have gotten in on X-Men collectibles early, but it took some time after the original 1976 sticker set before the first Topps X-Men cards came around. In the interim, Charles Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters made it onto trading cards through a variety of other sets, such as the Impel set from 1992, which included characters like Wolverine, Phoenix, Beast, and more. Featuring art from comic book legend Jim Lee, the set quickly caught on and remains one of the most beloved Marvel trading card series ever.
Of course, this set also came out the same year that X-Men: The Animated Series premiered, drawing in a whole new generation of fans in addition to those who’d been following the comics through the preceding decades. The TV show began a new era of multimedia stories for the X-Men that continues to this day, including the live-action films and the recent animated revival series, X-Men ‘97 — both of which have close ties to Topps.
1992 Impel The Uncanny X-Men #2 Wolverine
Topps Gets Back in on the X-Men Action
Many years after the 1976 Marvel Super Heroes sticker set, Topps returned to the world of Marvel in the early 2000s, and the X-Men helped lead the way. The year 2000 brought the first X-Men live-action film, and with it, a full 72-base-card tie-in set from Topps. The series featured major scenes from the movie, as well as cards for the individual characters. In addition to the base cards, collectors could pull a range of autographs from most of the film’s big stars, including Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Halle Berry, Anna Paquin, Famke Janssen, and James Marsden. A number of foils, promos, and chromium inserts were also up for grabs.
2000 Topps X-Men The Movie #9 Storm
In 2003, a follow-up set came out to commemorate the sequel film, X2: X-Men United. It followed the same format as its predecessor with 72 base cards and a range of inserts, including additional signature cards from Shawn Ashmore, Alan Cumming, and others.
2003 Topps X2 X-Men United #3 Jean Grey
In between the films, Topps released the Marvel Legends set in 2001, which returned to comic-inspired designs of characters like Black Widow, Spider-Man, and the Fantastic Four. This set also gave collectors a chance to add some comic-style X-Men cards alongside the movie sets, with Colossus, Cable, Storm, and many others making appearances. The cards included bios and factoids about the various characters, and of course, stunning art from comic book veterans like Gus Vazquez and Randy Green.
2001 Topps Marvel Legends #23 Angel
Topps Marvel in the Modern Day
In 2019, Topps launched the Marvel Collect! app, heralding a new age of collaboration for Marvel collectibles. The app has been a gathering ground for comic fans and card enthusiasts ever since, with tons of digital sets and seasonal events dropping year-round.
The first physical Topps Chrome Marvel set followed in 2024, bringing 150 base cards and tons of exciting inserts for collectors to chase. And now, with Topps Finest X-Men ‘97 coming soon, this new era of Marvel trading cards is just starting to power up.
2024 Topps Chrome® Marvel Spider Web Refractor #27 Jean Grey /399
Topps Finest X-Men ‘97 Brings Back All Your Favorite Heroes and Villains
There’s a lot to get excited about with the new Topps Finest X-Men ‘97 series, from stunning Base designs like Destroyers and Masters to a ton of inserts to chase. Omega Level cards feature the most powerful mutants from the Marvel universe, and true diehards can hunt for the rare 1/1 Sketch Cards from renowned artists like Chris Meek, Cisco Rivera and Eric Lehtonen. The set also includes stylish autos from famed X-Men voice actors, including Cal Dodd as Wolverine, Lenore Zann as Rogue and Matthew Waterson as Magneto.
Other inserts include the limited shadowbox Sentinel’s Scan cards, which put a unique angle on fan-favorite mutants, and Puzzle Cards that complete the iconic TV show theme song. Plus, packs may include cameo characters from the rest of the Marvel universe, and classic short prints harken back to the golden X-Men era of the late ‘90s.
It’s an exciting time to be an X-Men fan in the trading card scene, but this latest release is just one more step in a long and proud history of collectibles in the franchise. From 1976 to 2025, Topps has been a part of the Marvel journey for nearly 50 years, and there’s lots more to come.
